LAMM’s all-Italian design arrives in Dubai, contributing to the visionary Museum of the Future project
LAMM has supplied a number of its C100 armchairs for the futuristic museum, which opened on 22 February. The chairs and auditorium, which catapults visitors into a sci-fi film setting, work perfectly together
Offering an immersive experience, including interactive panels, virtual realities and multi-media installations, this is an extraordinary museum. In Dubai, a door into the future opens, with an engaging experience that takes visitors on a journey through time and shows them the advances that humankind may be able to make in the fields of bio-engineering, healthcare, well-being, spirituality and space exploration. Inside there is: technology that may resolve global problems, climate change and its effects, as well as space for critical and creative thinking. A film set-like museum created by revolutionary film-makers, artists and designers. The cladding is as complex as there has ever been: the torus-shaped structure is covered with 1024 (the number of bytes in a KB) curved steel panels. All these individual pieces are engraved with the words—in Arabic—of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. The meaning of the words alludes to the future, but the engraved shapes, more specifically, act as a window carved into the iconic architecture designed by the Killa Design studio and engineered by Buro Happold.
The iconic structure sits on a small, green podium-like hill that, inside, has an entrance hall with suspended bridges and elevators that—like space pods—set the journey in motion. Inside the hill, there is a large auditorium that catapults visitors into an all-new dimension: an underwater world or a sci-fi-like setting. LAMM‘s C100 armchairs were chosen for the auditorium’s interior. Boasting a clean, linear design, this armchair has visible structured side parts, can be customised in many ways and provides the utmost comfort. The padded version of the chair with genuine leather upholstery, a low backrest and a coated silver frame, pairs perfectly with the futuristic setting. The range of solutions and accessories on offer makes the C100 suitable for any project.
In the Museum of the Future, the armchairs have been installed in curved, horizontal and tiered rows. Three sub-versions have been used, demonstrating the chair’s versatility. The armchairs in the front row are each double-sided and have a wheel system that allows them to be removed if they are not in use. The chairs in the second and third rows also have two sides that go down to the floor, but these are fixed in place. The chairs from the fourth row onwards are bar-mounted with shared sides. With the latter, the sides at the ends of the rows go down to the floor, while those in the middle are shorter and mounted on the bar. The ground-fixing feet have been customised to avoid interference with air vents in the floor.
Lobby and auditorium: from the podium, the adventure begins. The first stage takes place aboard a replica of a shuttle built by NASA in 1981, taking visitors 600 Km above the Earth’s surface. The immersive experience begins with a mission: using the moon as a source of renewable energy for our planet. From the cosmos to planet Earth: in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, visitors experience the effects of climate change and navigate through a DNA library featuring thousands of animal species. There’s also a sanctuary in which visitors can reconnect with their senses for bodily, mental and spiritual well-being. A museum and an incubator of ideas: the fourth stage offers a journey through the technologies of the near future, a constantly evolving showcase of the great inventions of designers, researchers and companies involved in the great global challenges. It opened on 22 February and was named by National Geographic as one of 14 must-visit museums. This is an acknowledgement of the architecture and the value of its content. LAMM is very proud to have participated in this project.
Project: Museum of the Future
Location: Dubai, UAE
Client: Dubai Future Foundation
Architect: Killa Architectural Design
Year: 2022
LAMM supply: 366 C100 armchairs – Baldanzi & Novelli